Marking Time (WeHo Series Book 4)

by Sherryl D. Hancock

  “Will this work?” she asked.

  “Yep,” Raine said, smiling as she stood.

  They walked out of the apartment and downstairs to the motorcycle. Raine got on, and Natalia climbed onto the bike behind her.

  “Just make sure you hold on” Raine said, “And signal me if you need to stop for any reason, okay?”

  “Okay,” Natalia said, putting her helmet on and tightening the strap.

  The drive to the house in the hills took a little under an hour, traffic was mercifully light because it was Sunday. The house they pulled up to was off on its own road and had a long driveway. The house itself was a hacienda style.

  Climbing off the bike, Raine turned to help Natalia off, reaching up to unbuckle her helmet as Natalia did the same.

  “Was that okay?” Raine asked her.

  “It was great!” Natalia said, her smile bright. Then she turned her head looking up at the house. “Impresionante,” she said.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome looking,” Raine agreed.

  She noted that Cat’s blue Z was there, as well as Skyler’s pearlized white Z, Jericho’s red Challenger was there as was Quinn’s Mach 1 Mustang. There was also a black Hummer parked on the driveway that Raine didn’t recognize.

  “Gang’s all here,” Raine murmured.

  Natalia glanced at her, her look searching but she said nothing. Reaching out she took Raine’s hand and lead her toward the front door of the house.

  At the front door a beautiful dark haired woman answered the door. She smiled, welcoming them into the house.

  “I’m Sierra Youngblood-Marshal,” the woman said, extending her hand to Raine.

  “I’m Raine,” Raine responded, “I work for Cat.”

  “Oh, okay,” Sierra said, nodding, then looked at Natalia.

  “I’m Natalia,” Natalia said, extending her hand to Sierra.

  “Oh, I’ve heard great things about your class,” Sierra said, smiling.

  “Thank you,” Natalia said, smiling too.

  “Well, come on in, we’re out back,” Sierra said, gesturing around the house, “As you can see we have hardly anything in here yet.”

  It was true the house had a few pieces of furniture that looked like they were likely new, since they were still covered with plastic. They walked through the house led by Sierra. The house itself was beautiful with rich wood floors and nice accents like archways with painted flowers, a full wall entertainment center in rich mahogany wood. The kitchen they walked through had terracotta tile on the floor and a full wall of brick which held a spot for a fire. It was definitely an amazing house.

  Walking behind Sierra, Raine admired the woman’s long black hair that flowed down to her waist. It was very obvious she was of American Indian decent with her pronounced cheek bones and almost black eyes, she was beautiful.

  As they stepped outside, they saw the beautiful terraced back yard with the pool and barbecue area, as well as the terracotta stone water feature.

  The group around the pool looked up seeing Raine standing with her hand in Natalia’s.

  There were calls of “Woohoo!” and “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” and a lot of clapping which had Raine turning ten shades of red, even as Natalia hugged her.

  Kashena walked over, extending her hand to Raine, her smile wide.

  “I’m Kashena,” she said, “Cat’s told me a lot about you. Welcome.”

  “Thank you,” Raine said, nodding.

  “And you’re Natalia?” Kashena asked, having heard about the beautiful dance instructor too.

  “Yes,” Natalia said, smiling warmly at Kashena.

  “What are you drinking?” Kashena asked then, “We’ve got pretty much everything, beer, wine, soda, liquor… name it.”

  “Wine, please,” Natalia said, “White?”

  “Sure, and Raine?”

  “Water, please,” Raine said.

  “Did I just hear water?” Quinn asked, as she walked up.

  Raine nodded, her eyes on Quinn.

  “No problem,” Kashena said, stepping away.

  “Leave her alone…” Cat said to Quinn as she walked up, leaning in to hug Natalia.

  “Don’t mind the alcoholic,” Cat said to Raine, grinning.

  Kashena returned with a glass of wine for Natalia and a bottle of water for Raine.

  “So you don’t drink?” Kashena asked.

  “No,” Raine said, shaking her head.

  Kashena nodded, accepting that answer.

  “She just hasn’t been a cop long enough.” Said a blonde haired man who walked up.

  “Shut it Baz, not everyone has to drink to cope,” Kashena said, then looked over at Raine, “Raine, this is Sebastian Bach, he’s been my partner for years and he thinks that you have to drink to do the work we all do.”

  “We do,” Sebastian said, shrugging, then he grinned at Raine, “It’s good to meet you, you’re like ten, right?”

  Raine licked her lips, her eyes sparkling with amusement, “A little older than that, but yes, much younger than you.”

  That had Kashena, Cat, Quinn and Sierra laughing, even as Sebastian nodded, “I like her,” he said, with a grin.

  Natalia walked down to talk to Zoey and Jericho, leaving Raine standing with Cat as Sebastian and Kashena went over to talk to Sierra about the barbecue.

  “So, that looks promising” Cat said, nodding toward Natalia.

  Raine glanced over at Cat, “And I guess I have you to thank for that,” she said, her tone mild.

  Cat quirked a grin, “We take care of our own, Raine,” she said, “Better get used to it.”

  Raine looked over at Cat, her eyes narrowed slightly.

  Cat shrugged, “You weren’t getting to it, so I got to it for you. If she hadn’t been interested, she wouldn’t have done anything.”

  Raine considered what Cat said, nodding then. “I guess you’re right. But what do you mean I better get used to it?”

  Cat gave her a long assessing look, “It seems to me like you’re not used to people looking out for you.”

  Raine shook her head slowly, “No, not really, I look out for myself okay.”

  Cat smiled, her look knowing, “Well, now you’ve got other people who are going to look out for you too.”

  Raine quirked her lips in consideration, then looked back at Cat, “Why?”

  “Because we like you,” Cat said, “Why is that hard to understand?”

  Raine shook her head, “Because most people don’t.”

  “Well, we do.” Cat said, “So get used to it.”

  “Get used to what?” Skyler asked as she walked up to them.

  “Nothing,” Raine said.

  “So you and Nat…” Skyler said, holding up her hand, “Nice…”

  Raine smiled, high fiving Skyler’s hand, looking slightly embarrassed.

  “You two make a cute couple,” Devin said, walking up and leaning into Skyler.

  “Speaking of cute couples,” Cat said, “Your date is getting close, isn’t it?

  “Date?” Raine asked, looking over at Skyler and Devin.

  “Our wedding,” Devin said, grinning.

  “Oh, very cool,” Raine said, smiling.

  “We need to add you two to the guest list,” Devin said, elbowing Skyler in the ribs, even as Skyler rolled her eyes. “Quit that!” she said, laughing.

  “What? Sheesh!” Skyler said, laughing and grabbing Devin around the waist.

  Raine really liked the couple, they seemed to balance each other really well. Skyler was the strong quiet type, and Devin was the outgoing one. It was obvious that they were in love too, because she’d often see them just talking and looking each other in the eye. The one thing Raine had seen about love was that if people didn’t look at each other when the talked, it meant they weren’t really connected.

  Later as she looked around the big backyard, Raine could see the couples and the way they connected. Jericho and Zoey were standing talking to Natalia. Jericho’s
arm held Zoey close to her side, Zoey’s hand was touching Jericho’s waist and stomach as they talked. Kashena and Sierra stood arm and arm, talking to Sebastian and Skyler and Devin by the barbecue. Cat and Jovina stood near the pool, talking and holding hands.

  Walking over to where Natalia stood, Raine wasn’t sure what to do, but Natalia solved that for her, by holding out her hand. Raine took it and Natalia pulled her in, wrapping Raine’s arm around her waist, so she could lean back against her. Raine found that she liked the feeling of Natalia leaning on her, she slid her other arm around her waist, kissing the side of Natalia’s head.

  “You can’t say that it’s not right, if you don’t understand the purpose,” Jericho was saying.

  “Then what is the purpose?” Natalia was asking.

  “It’s a sign of modesty,” Jericho said, “But it’s also a sign of religious faith.”

  “But why do they have to cover their faces?” Natalia asked.

  “Because to their way of thinking, only her husband should see her face, or her hair, it’s something that should be saved for him.”

  “But don’t you think that’s just men forcing women to do what they want?” Natalia argued.

  “Believe or not, some women really prefer it,” Jericho said.

  “Historically, women have been forced to wear the hijab and niqab, but middle eastern society is changing and it’s not always an issue anymore.” Zoey put in.

  “But you, obviously don’t do it,” Natalia said, looking at Jericho.

  “No, but I’ve never been a practicing Muslim, my father is though.” Jericho replied.

  “Does your mom wear that stuff?” Natalia asked.

  “No, but she respects my father’s religions and his beliefs,” Jericho said.

  Natalia glanced back at Raine, “What do you think of all that?” she asked.

  Raine looked at Jericho, and then at Zoey “I think women should be able to do whatever they believe in, no matter what.”

  Jericho grinned and inclined her head, “Well said.”

  “What’s going on over here?” Cat asked as she and Jovina strolled up.

  “We’re talking about middle eastern culture and where women fit into it.”

  “That’s a dangerous topic,” Sebastian said as he walked up to the group.

  “For the one man here,” Kashena put in as she and Sierra joined them.

  “I can hold my own,” Sebastian said, confidently.

  “That’s what we’ve heard,” Sierra murmured.

  “Oh-ho!” Sebastian said, giving Sierra a narrowed look.

  “Maybe we should talk about women’s treatment in the military,” Kashena said.

  “Yeah, that sounds like a good topic,” Skyler said as she and Devin walked over.

  No one noticed when Raine eased back from the group, ostensibly to go and look at the water feature at the back of the property. Natalia watched as Raine stood with her back to the group, shifting her weight from one foot to another. After a few minutes, Natalia eased away from the group and went to join Raine. Moving to stand behind her, she slid her hands around Raine’s waist, resting her cheek against Raine’s back.

  “Estas bien?” she asked, wanting to know if Raine was okay.

  Raine reached up to cover Natalia’s hands with her own.

  “Si, estoy bien,” she answered, saying that yes she was okay.

  Moving to stand in front of Raine, Natalia looked up at her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Raine said, smiling softly, “I just get really restless in big groups.”

  “Why?” Natalia asked.

  Raine shrugged, “Don’t know, it just gets overwhelming.”

  Natalia nodded, reaching up to touch Raine’s cheek.

  Cat watched the two over by the water fall smiling. It seemed like a really good match and she was happy to see it.

  “What are you doing?” Jovina asked her, seeing her watching the other couple.

  “They look happy,” Cat said.

  Jovina looked over at that two, “Yes, they do, maybe they’re both what the other needs.”

  Cat looked down at Jovina, “You mean like us?” she said.

  Jovina smiled, “Yes, like us.”

  Later the food was ready and everybody gathered to eat. Raine received a lot of grief for only eating a small amount of food and most of it being the fresh vegetables that were served.

  “Don’t tell me you’re a vegetarian…” Sebastian said, “I was just starting to like you…”

  “I’m not a vegetarian old man,” Raine said, “This,” she said holding up a piece of chicken, “Is chicken which, last time I checked belongs in the meat section.”

  There was a round of “ohs” that had Sebastian grinning.

  “I simply eat clean,” Raine said.

  “Clean?” Sebastian repeated.

  “They teach you that at Julliard?” Cat asked, grinning.

  Raine narrowed her eyes at her boss, but nodded.

  That had Natalia staring at her open-mouthed, “Julliard?” she queried.

  Cat canted her head at Raine, “You still haven’t told her that?”

  “We’ve been together less than forty eight hours,” Raine said, rolling her eyes.

  “Told me what?” Natalia asked, her grin evident.

  Raine looked at her, and then shook her head, “Maybe I should try beer…”

  “Here ya go,” Sebastian said grinning as he handed Raine his beer.

  Raine took a drink and immediately made a face, which had everyone laughing.

  “Here try this,” Quinn said, handing her a Guinness.

  “Oh God, don’t drink that!” Cat said.

  Raine tried the Guinness and grimaced, “It’s not as bad as that one,” she said, gesturing to the Heineken that Sebastian drank.

  “Okay, try this,” Cat said, handing her a Shocktop Belgian white.

  Raine tasted that and nodded, “Oh much better.”

  “Excuse me!” Natalia said, her hands on her hips, “If you all could stop trying to get my girlfriend drunk…”

  “Ohhhhh….” Jericho said, grinning.

  “You tell em!” Xandy said, laughing.

  “Julliard?” Natalia asked, looking at Raine.

  Raine rolled her eyes and sighed, “I have a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Julliard, okay?”

  Natalia blinked a couple of times, “That’s the Julliard in New York, right?”

  “Yes,” Raine said, nodding.

  “And?” Cat said, her eyes sparkling.

  “And what?” Raine replied, giving Cat a narrowed look.

  “And what other degree do you have?” Cat said, not letting up.

  “You have two degrees?” Natalia asked, her look shocked.

  Raine shrugged, “The second one is easier to get,” she said.

  “Aye dios mio!” Natalia said, “Tienes que estar bromeando…” she muttered, saying “you have got to be kidding me” in Spanish, which no one else understood.

  Raine was grinning.

  “Lo siento. Estás realmente enojado?” Raine said, saying she was sorry and asking if she was really mad.

  She managed to shock everyone around them with her accent that sounded quite like Natalia’s.

  “No, I’m jealous!” Natalia said, grinning. “And I knew you could speak it perfectly,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

  “Solo un poco,” Raine said, grinning as she said ‘only a little’.

  “Bullshit,” Natalia said succinctly.

  Everyone laughed at that. It was a fun afternoon.

  Raine drove them home, stopping at Natalia’s apartment to let her off. She didn’t see the odd look that crossed Natalia’s features because she was removing her helmet and then leaned forward and kiss Natalia’s lips.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow?” Raine asked.

  Natalia nodded, giving a slight smile. Raine put her helmet back on and rode off. Natalia watched her ride a
way, her lips twitching, then she sighed and walked to her apartment.

  A few hours later, Raine was lying in bed, trying to go to sleep. It was 10 PM by that time and she needed to be up at 5AM the next morning for work. Sleep was illusive for her quite often, but on this night it just seemed worse. Finally she used the remote for the Bose and turned on music, hoping that would distract her enough so she could sleep. Still sleep wouldn’t come, she shifted in bed, moving to sit up, rolling her neck trying to push away the visions of the dark haired beauty who’d been with her in that very bed that morning. Nothing was working.

  She was just about to get up when her bedroom door opened. Natalia stood in the doorway, looking cautious. Raine smiled immediately.

  “Hey…” she said, smiling brightly. “I was just thinking about you.”

  “You were?” Natalia asked as she stepped inside the door and closed it behind her.

  Raine nodded, as she moved to put her feet on the floor, still sitting on her bed. Natalia walked over to her, stepping between Raine’s legs, she put her arms around Raine’s neck.

  “I missed you,” Raine said, staring into Natalia’s eyes.

  Natalia bit her lip, smiling as she did, “Then why did you leave?” she asked.

  Raine looked surprised by the question, then she shrugged, “I didn’t know how this kind of thing is supposed to go,” she answered honestly.

  Natalia smiled, leaning in to kiss Raine’s lips softly, pulling back to look into her eyes, “What did you think?” she asked.

  “That we’d spent so much time together, that you might be tired of me at this point.” Raine said.

  Natalia smiled, shaking her head, “You obviously haven’t heard the joke about lesbians and U-Haul’s.”

  “Huh?” Raine queried.

  “Never mind,” Natalia said, moving to kiss Raine again, wrapping her arms tighter around her neck and pressing closer.

  They kissed until Raine moved her hands to the backs of Natalia’s thighs, lifting her so Natalia’s legs wrapped around her waist. Then she moved back on the bed, moving to lean against the headboard, still kissing Natalia. They made love, each of them reaching their climax together. Afterwards, Natalia lay against Raine, her head on Raine’s shoulder, both of them were still clothed, articles of clothing had simply been shifted during their lovemaking.